


i’m not freaking out

by tvheads



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Short One Shot, mild panicky times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-09 22:25:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16458161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvheads/pseuds/tvheads
Summary: mystery gets hungry sometimes.





	i’m not freaking out

To Arthur, the cave was never a thing that happened. To him, the only thing worth noting about that day was that it was the last day he and his two favorite people in the world would spend together as they were. It was the day before Lewis disappeared, before Arthur woke up in the hospital after _something_ tore off his arm. It was the day before the already wildly concerned Peppers called Vivi and learned that she wasn’t even aware they had a son.

No one knew what happened. No one could explain.

The dog was behaving even stranger than usual, though.

-

One morning in the van, a month or so after Arthur left the hospital and not long after he’d finished his prosthetic, he woke up to a surprisingly familiar set of teeth gnawing lightly on his flesh hand. He stares sleepily down to find Mystery staring right back up at him, and he suddenly sees _everything._

His hand—not the metal one, the green one—is stretched out, just like his face. His mouth. It’s all twisted, is what it feels like, and tears flow freely from his right eye. _You’re all right now,_ whispers a voice in his mind. It’s his, but it definitely isn’t. He can’t think—he sees green, purple, red and black—he hears flesh rip—is it his? Is it L—

He jolts forward, jerking away from Mystery. 

“Whoa! Arthur!” Vivi shouts, and Arthur whirls to see her bending towards him, reaching out with her hands and brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”

He wants to touch her, make sure she’s really there, and he does. He hesitantly takes her hand with his flesh one. She smiles at him and squeezes his hand before curling up next to him. “You wanna talk, Artie?”

“No,” Arthur replies slowly.

“Do you want me to hold you?” Vivi asks gently. Her voice has no teasing in its tone, something the man greatly appreciates. 

He nods, and she puts an arm around him and pulls them closer together. Arthur takes a few seconds to return her embrace, though he does not move the metal arm.

The dog creeps toward them, like he wants to join in on the hug, but when Arthur flinches at the mere sight of him, Vivi frowns and shakes her head. 

Arthur slowly forgets the scene in his mind, though he can no longer relax in Mystery’s presence. He’s not entirely sure why, though he’s sure it has something to do with his arm.

Mystery cannot blame him.


End file.
